The Italian bike manufacturer Benelli will start its second innings in India with the Mahavir Group. The new venture has announced some exciting plans for the Indian market including the launch of seven new products by the end of this year. The next two most important launches from the brand will be the TRK 250 and the Leoncino 250, which will revive Benelli’s name in India.
Out of the seven new bikes, the TRK 250 Adventure bike, the Leoncino and the Imperiale 400 would be the first three bikes to hit the market. Benelli will launch all three products next year and will expand the portfolio with new follow-up launches at a later date. Benelli will also launch products, such as the TRK 502 and the Leoncino 500. Other bikes will be the new versions of the TNT 300 (TNT 302S), TNT 302R faired and the TNT 600i naked. Benelli is planning to launch as many as 12 new models by 2019 before the BS VI norms are enforced.
Benelli will launch all the new motorcycles as Completely Knocked Down (CKD) products. The bikes will be assembled near Hyderabad. The TNT 300, 302R and the TNT 600i would be available at the dealerships by October 2018, while the TRK 501, Leoncino 500 and the Leoncino 500 Trail are expected to reach dealerships by November 2018.
The Benelli TRK 250 and the Leoncino 250 are currently undergoing the homologation process, which should be completed by September. The big shuffle in the line-up will affect bikes like the TNT 25 and the TNT 600 GT. Both the bikes are expected to be discontinued from the market.
Coming to the bikes, the Leoncino 250 is powered by a 249-cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces a maximum of 25.8 Bhp and 21.2 Nm. It gets a six-speed transmission. The bike is equipped with an all-LED headlamp, a fully digital instrument console, 41-mm USD forks, monoshock at the rear and dual-channel ABS as standard. The TRK 250 will be an entry-level adventure tourer that will take on bikes, such as the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It will be powered by the same engine as the Leoncino 250 and will get similar features.
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